
Book^ 




h/ 



4^ 




TWO MONTHS 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 



BY A PRISONER. 



• In all eriminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right 
to a speedy and puVjlic trial by an impartial jury of the State and 
Distriftt wherein the crime shall have been committed, which 
District shall ha^e baen previously ascertained by law; and to be { 
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation ; to be con- 
fronted with the witnesses against him : to have compulsory pro 
cess for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assist j 
ance of counsel for his defence."—?^. S. Constitution. 



NEW YORK: 

PRINTED FOR THE AUTHORo 

1862. 



TWO MONTHS 






FORT LA FAYETTE. 



BY A PRISONER. 



"la all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right 
to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the State and 
District wherein the crime shall have been committed, which 
District shall have been previously ascertained by law ; and to be 
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation ; to be con- 
fronted with the witnesses against him ; to have compulsory pro- 
cess for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assist 
ance of counsel for his defence."—?/. S. Constitution. 




NEW YORK: 

FEINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. 

1862. 






f6 *oo 



i 



LIST OF PRISONERS 



AT FOET LA FAYETTE, 



From 20th July to 2Sth October, inclusive. 



DATE. 


NAME. 


WHERE FROM. DISCHAr'd. 


ruij 


^20 


, E. S. Ruggles, 


Fredericksburg, Va. 




u 




P. M. Quillan, 


Charleston, S. C, 


Aug. r 




'6\, 


, Thos. Fitzpatrick, 
James E. Murphy, 


Baltimore, Md., 
Portsmouth, Va. 


Aug. 18 


ii 




John H, Cusick, 


Woodville, Md. 




" 




Dr. E. Johnson, 


Baltimore, Md., 


Sept. ir 


(( 
(( 




C. M. Hagelin, 
S. H. Lyon, 
I. W. Davis, 




Oct. 24 


l( 




Charles Howard, 


(( 




a 




W. H. Gatchell, 
E. H. Alvy, 


Hagerstown, Md. 




.Ug, 


, Z, 


A. E. Smith, 


San Fiancisco, CaL 






11, 


I. Williams, 


Norfolk, Va. 






14, 


Robert Muir, 


Charleston, S. C, 


Oct. 17 




18, 


C. Copporal, 


Carroll Co., Miss. 






18, 


T. S. Serrill, 


New Orleans, La., 


Sept. 5 




20, 


Pierce Butler, 


Philadelphia, Pa., 


Sept. 24 



LIST OF PRISONERS, 



DATE. NAHE. 


WHERE FROM, 


dischar'c-. 


iug. 20, L. Be Bibian, 


Wilmington, N. C, 


Sept. 17 


" 22, George Miles, 


Richmond, Va., 


Oct. 5 


" 23, J. G. Guthry, 


Petersburg, Va., 


Oct. 3 


" 24, J. E. Barbour, 


Lake Providence, La. 


« 25, F. M. Fisk, 


JS'ew Orleans, La., 


Oct. 2 


« D. C. Lowber, 


'' 




MayorJ. G.Berritt, 


Y/ashington, D. C, 


Sept. 14 


« P. McCarthy, 


Norfolk, Va., 


Oct. 3 


J. Riley, 


a 


,i 


" J. "Williams, 


i( 


a 


A. Wilson, - 


" 


(( 


J. A. Marshall, 


Charleston, S. C, 


« 


« George 0. Gladden, 


'' 


u 


" J. Journallie, 


u 


" 


" J. P. N. Sal bo, 


a 


a 


" C. Forrester, 


i( 


i( 


'' 26, S. Ealdns, 


Richmond, Va. 




" D. Reno, 


Columbia, S. C, 


Sept. 4 


« 27, S. J. Anderson, 


Kew York, 


Oct. 11 


" 28, R. Tansill, U.S.K 


Prince William Co 


, Va. 


T. S. Wilson, U.S.E". 


Springfield, Mo. 




H. B. Claiborne, U.S.E 


. New Orleans, La. 




H. Cenas, U.SN. 


" 




" Wm. Patrick, 


Brooklyn, N. Y., 


Sept. 13 


" 29, E. B. Schnable, 


Lycoming, Pa., 


Oct. 24 


« 30, U. B. Harrold, 


Macon, Ga., 


Sept. 18 


" 31, R. S. Freeman, 


" 




W. H. Ward, U.S.K 


Norfolk, Va. 




" A. J. DeLaguel, 


Alexandria, Va.. 


Sept. 20 


ept. 1, B. F. Grove, 


New York, 


Oct. 8 


" F. E. Williams, 


Choctaw, Ark., 


Sept. 7 


" H. L. Reynolds, 


Mobile, Ala., 


Sept. 13 



LIST OF PRISONERS. 



DATE. 


KAME. 


WHERE FROM. D 


ischar'd. 


Sept. 


3, 


J. C. Eahming. 


ITew York, 


Sept. 18 




i, 


H. A. Eeeves, 


Greenport, N". Y., 


Oct. 5 




5, 


J. Chapin, 


Vicksburg, Miss., 


Oct. 17 




7, 


E. B. Wilder, 
E. Elliott, 


ITewark, K. J., 
Freedom, Me. 


Oct. 14 




8, 


A. S. Sullivan, 


Few York, 


Oct. 21 






C. Barclay, 


Schr. " Middleton," 


Oct. 14 






P. Cargan, 


(i 


Sept. 26 






E. Bonneaud, 


(( 


Oct. 9 






E. Eoul, 


li 


Sept. 26 






W. Williams, 


a 


<•' 






W. Simms, 


li 


a 






A. Clifton, 


« 


(t 






A. Strom b, 


a 


t( 




9) 


, A. D. Wharton, 


U.S.N. Nashville, Tenn. 








C. J. Faulkner, 


Martinsburg, Va. 






10, 


G. L, Bowne, 


Key West, Fla., 


Sept. 24 




11, 


J. W. Wall, 


Burlington, N". J., 


u 




12, 


E. B. Walker, 


New York, 


Oct. 19 






M. C. Stanley, 


a 


Sept. 21 




13, 


, J. K. Millner, 


Danville, Va. 








Marshall G. P. 


Kane, Baltimore, 


Oct. 11 






E. Drain, 


Loudon Co., Va. 








A. Dawson, 


u- 








B. Eggleston, 


Washington, D. C, 


Sept. 17 






B. F. Corlies, 


Brooklyn, I^. Y., 


Sept. 18 






B. Burton, 


" 








E. C. Myatt, 


Schr. Col. Long. 








C. Williams, 


a 


Oct. 9 






P. Eeilly, 


a 








T. Kelly, 


a 


t( 






W. Perry, 


Bark SirWm. Raleig 


h, Sept. 26 



LIST OF PRISONERS. 



DATE. NAME. 

Sept. 13, J. Angus, 

C. McClenachan, 
W. Smith, 
" J. L. Newlin, 

W. St. George, 
" 14, W. H. Winder, 
" 16, B, F. Langley, 
" J. A. McMasters, 

" M. Stannarcl, 

" 17, D. Corey, 
" 19, L. Sturtevant, 
" 20, G. A. Hubbell, 
" 21, J. A. Bateman, 
" 23, Wm. Gilchrist, 
" F. Wyatt, 

" J. M. Haig, 

" J. J. Heckert, Md. Leg 

" E. G. Kilbourne, " 

" J. H. Gordon, " 

*•' W. E. Salmon, '' 

" A. Ivessler, " 

T. J. Claggitt, 
" Dr. B. Mills " 

" C. J. Durant, " 

J. II. Maddox, 
" T. H. Maddox, 

W. E. Miller, Md. Leg. 
" J. W. Maxwell, " 

" P. T. Eaisin, " 

" J. L. Jones, " 

" G. W. Landing " 

" J. M. Brewer, " 



WHERE FROM. DISCHAr'd. 

Bark Prima Donna, Sept. 26 



Schr. Albion, 

Philadelphia, Pa. 
ITew Orleans, La. 

ISTew York, Oct. 23 

Madison, Conn., Oct. 14 

Somerset, IST. J., Oct. 21 

I^ew Orleans, La., Sept. 27 

Bridgeport, Ct., Sept. 26 

Camden, Ala., Oct. 2 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

Baltimore, Md., Oct. 26 

Cecil Co., " 
Anne Arundel Co., Md. 
Allegheny Co., " 

Frederick Co., " 



Carroll Co., " 

St. Mary's Co., " 

St. Mary's Co., Md. 
Washington, D. C, Oct. 4 

Cecil Co., Md., .^ 

Kent Co., Md. 
Talbot Co., Md. 
Worcester Co., Md. 
Baltimore, " 



LIST OF PRISONERS. 



DATE. NAME. 

Sept. 24, C. T. Sargeant, 

" 25, Ex-Gov C F Moreliead, 

" E. F. Durrett, 

f M. W. Barr, 

« 26, T. P. Scott, Md. Legis. 
H. M. Warfield, " 

" L. Saiigston, " 

S. H. Thomas, " 

" Maj^or G. W. Brown, 

" F. K. Howard, 

F. W. Hall, 

" " H. May, M.C., 

" S. T. Wallis, Md. Leg. 

" M. G. Harrison, " 

C. H. Pitts, 

" Pv. M. Dennison, " 

" L. J. Quinlan, " 

" A. A. Lynch, " 

" 28, J. C. Brain, 
Oct. 2, P. B. Loyall, U.S.N., 

" H. K. Stevens, U.S.N., 

« W. E. Butt, " 

" 5, Dr. C. McGill, 

" H. G. Thunder, 

" F. M. Crow, 

" J. W. Griffith, 

" A. McDowell, 

" J. W. Eoberts, 

" S. J. Woolridge, 

" W. E. Kearney, 

" J. Back, 

" J. T. McFeat, 



WHERE PROM 

Yarmouth, Me. 
Louisville, Ky. — 



Baltimore, Md. 



DISCHAR D. 



ITasliville, Tenn. 
ISTorfolk, Va. 
South Carolina. 
Portsmouth, Va. 
Hagerstown, Md. 
Oldham Co., Ky. 



Harrodsburg, Ky. 

Clark Co., Ky. 
Marion Co., Ky. 
Harrodsburg, Ky. 



Oct. 11 



LIST OF PRISONERS. 



DATE. NAME. 

Oct. 5, G. P. Pressy, 
E. Payne, 
W. Grubbs, 
W. E. Wright, 
L. S. Holsclaw, 

7, E. Baun, 
J. A. Douglas, 
C. G. liTeil, 
E. Sibern, 
S. F. ITewton, 
E. S. Grisson, 
J. Swindell, 
G. Barker, 
E. Hendricks, 
E. Brindon, 
J. Johnston, 
W. Brown, 
P. White, 
J. B. Hoggerd, 
C. Thompson, 
J. Murphy, 
M. F. Copehart, 
G. W. Bernard, 
G. Shackleford, 
G. 0. Van Amriugc 

8, Capt. M. Berry, 

11, A. Da Costa, 

12, A. R. Carter, 

13, J. W. Packard, 

14, C. H. Tyler, 
18, I. G. Mask, 

J. E. Lindsay, U.S. 



DISCHAR D. 



Oct. 14 



WHERE FROM. 

New York. 
Lexington, Ky. 
Madison Co., Ky. 
Marion Co., " 
Bullett Co., " 
Schr. Mary Wood. 



Schr. Albion. 

Schr. Ocean Wave, Oct. 9 



Schr. Harriet Ryan, 



Newbern, N. C. 

Beaufort, N. C. 
:, Wilmington, JST. C. 

Brooklyn, IT. Y. 

Charleston, S. C. 

Baltimore, Md. 

]Sr. Bridge water, Mass., Oct. 21 

Prince Wm. Co., Va. 

Baltimore, Md. 
N., Greensboro, Mo. 



LIST OF PRISONERS. 



DATE. NAME. WHERE FROM. DISCHAR D. 

Oct. 18, W. M. Page, U.S.N"., Winchester, Va. 

H. H. Dalton, " Aberdeen, Miss. 

21, J. I. Shaver, Toronto, Canada. 

22, Wm. Pierce, "New Orleans, La. 

23, F. D. Flanders, Malone, N. Y. 
J. E. Flanders, " 

24, E. W. Jeffray, U.S.F., Virginia. 

25, Capt. H. L. Shields, Bennington, Vt. 
28, B. Morley, Brooklyn, N. Y., Oct. 29 



^^^ Those names having na date of discharge were 
forwarded to Fort Warren. 



®fofl S^^i^^Ij^ ii^ if^rf f '^t ifagette. 



BY A PRISONEK. 



"For it seemeth unto me unreasonable to send a prison- 
er, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him." 
23cZ Chap. Ads of Apostles, 21th verse. 



Fort La Fayette was completely emptied of 
all its prisoners on the oOtb October, 1861, they 
being then transferred to Fort Warren, in Bos- 
ton Harbor; since then, in fact almost imme- 
diately, it has again been, and is, used as a 
prison ; whether these'^ latter prisoners have 
been in anywise differently treated from the 
former, the writer does not know, as hapj^ily 
he has not had the opportunity; the experi- 
ences related in this pamphlet were enjoyed prior 
to 30th October, 1861. 

For La Fayette is situated in Xew York Bay, 
about eight miles below Kew York City. In 
former times it was better known to those who 



12 TWO MONTHS IN 

go down to the sea, in ships as Fort Diamond, so 
called from its shape. It is built on an island, 
about one quarter of a mile from the Long Island 
shore, and perhaps two miles from the southern 
end of Staten Island — it is entirely surrounded 
by deep water, and has no other communica- 
tion with the shore save by boats. 

On the Long Island shore is situated Fort 
Hamilton ; directly opposite, on Staten Island, 
is the, as yet, unfinished Fort Eichmond. These 
three forts are pretty much in a line, and are 
likely intended to support each other. Fort 
La Fayette is much the smallest of the three, 
and the oldest; it is built of brick, the walls 
about five feet thick, and has two tiers of guns, 
besides those, en barbette, looking seaward, the 
side facing Long Island is merely pierced for 
musketry. On the ground floor there are 
tvf enty heavy thirty-two pounders, on the floor 
above there w^ere supposed to be the same num- 
ber twenty-four pounders ; what there was on 
the roof was unknown to the prisoners. The 
yard around w^hich the Fort is built, contains 
about one-quarter of an acre, the centre was a 
grass plot used for a parade ground, and it was 
ornamented by three huge furnaces for heating 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 18 

shot, and bad a handsome brass twelve-pounder 
oommandiug the sallyport. Outside the walls 
there was an esplanade all around, of about 
forty feet wide, as, however, the prisoners w^ere 
never allowed to, walk around, no description 
can be given, other than that there seemed to 
be about two hundred cannon stored there. 

The Fort itself was under the immediate com- 
mand of Lieut. "Wood, 14th TJ. S. Infantry, he 
was styled Commander Wood, and was under 
orders to Col. Burke at Fort Hamilton ; the gar- 
rison consisted of one company U. S. soldiers. 

So much for the Fort. To the tourist it no 
doubt has a romantic appearance, and would 
look well in a picture of this most beautiful of 
bays, but to the prisoner beiug led to its gloomy 
portals it seemed, a vile blot upon that fail* 
scene; the bay alive with shipping and fishing 
boats, the " green fields beyond the sw^elling 
fiood,'' and all nature alive and happy, save 
that still repulsive dungeon-looking place, w4th 
its jaw of a sallyport gapiug to receive its vic- 
tims. 

The modus operandi of getting in, though 
somewhat of the most summary, still had its 
forms; first, of course, like Miss Leslie's fish, 



14 TWO MONTHS IN 

the prisoner had to he caught — this was rather 
easily donej as all forms of law were dispensed 
with, and a telegraph order heing generally the 
only warrant — when caught however, the pris- 
oner was quickly transferred hy the most ex- 
peditious route, regardless of expense, and 
suhject entirely to the caprice of the officers 
having him in charge, some in irons and some 
not, to Col. Burke at Fort Hamilton. 

He would give the officers a receipt for the 
"bodies, and transfer them, under military guard 
hy hoat, to Commander Wood, at Fort La 
Fayette. On arriving there, the prisoners would 
be ushered into the presence and again receipt- 
ed for, the Fort Hamilton guard would depart, 
and the separation from the world appeared 
complete. 

Commander Wood would then take, and give 
a receipt for, whatever money might be on the 
person, have the baggage and person examined 
to see that no arms, money, or contrabaiad 
articles, such as letters to prisoners, etc. got in, 
announce the room that each should occupy, 
and order the Sergeant of the Guard to convey 
the new citizen thither. 

From thenceforth the prisoner was under 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 15 

military rule, any communication with the 
Commander must be in writing, through the 
Sergeant of the Guard, and all orders unhesi- 
tatingly obeyed. 

The prisoners' quarter at first sight did not 
appear inviting, and in fact grew less and less 
so daily. They were all on the ground floor, 
and brick paved, without a carpet or mat of 
any kind ; three of the rooms used as prisoners' 
quarters were small, and -compared with the 
others, would have been comfortable for two or 
three occupants. They had a narrow glazed 
window and a fire-place, and were in size about 
ten feet by fifteen, with a low arched ceiling. 
As, however, in place of two or three, they 
always had from eight to ten occupants, 
very little could be said in their praise — but 
still the inhabitants of these rooms were always 
looked upon as rather the aristocracy of the 
Fort. 

The balance of the prisoners were confined 
in three large apartments, which were lighted 
and ventilated each room by the port-holes of 
four heavy thirty-two pounder cannon, these 
immense guns, with their immense carriages 
and machinery, occupied more than half the 



IQ TWO MONTHS IN 

space, and were the most unpleasant looking 
bed-fellows imas-inable. 

The furniture of all the rooms was a small 
iron bedstead, a few chairs and plain pine 
benches, and a couple of w^ashstands; the bed- 
ding was a thin mattress, one pillow, one sol- 
dier's blanket, two cotton sheets, and one 
cotton pillow case, other than this there was no^ 
furniture or chamber conveniences whatever. 
The floor, as before said, was brick paved, and 
damp, the windows, port-holes and doors were 
loose and sw^inging, the beds were so crowded 
together that there w^as no room for walking 
between them, and it w^as only by doubling 
them up in the daytime that any room could 
be obtained — two of the rooms always contain- 
ed about forty occupants ; the rest, from ten to 
fifteen. 

All the sweeping or cleaning that was done 
was by the prisoners themselves; none of the 
garrison ever doing anything in this way. The 
sheets and pillow-cases were but once exchang- 
ed, and when washed, was at the prisoners' ex- 
pense. 'No washing was allowed to be sent out 
of the Fort, but was done by the Commander's 
family servant, at a charge of 121 cents apiece. 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 17 

and ii generally took from two to three weeks 
before a washing w?cS returned. As no pris- 
oner had time allowed him to get up an exten- 
sive wardrobe, there were some novel experi- 
ences on this question, many discovering for 
the first time a talent for clothes-washing 
hitherto totally unsuspected, and all a spirit of 
resignation to soiled linen quite new, if not re- 
freshing. 

The keeping of these rooms clean was, asbefore 
stated, left entirely to the prisoners, and it was 
a lively and instructive scene from six to eight 
in the morning; then it was that blankets were 
brought out and shook almost shoddyless, cot- 
ton sheets hung up to air, and mattresses sub- 
jected to a good broomsticking ; then was there 
a dust raised by elderly amateur sweepers, who 
would discover on their triumphant return from 
the door, that they had not half swe2)t, and had 
the labor to go over again; then it was that 
forty men would try to perform their morniug 
ablutions in two bowls of water, which for most 
of the time was dipped from the sea, and left on 
the skin a seeming coat of glue, which required 
all day to remove; then it was seen who had 
friends outside and who not, by the possession 



18 TWO MONTHS IN 

of towels^ looking-glasses^ blacking, brushes, 
etc. but bye-and-bye every one was washed 
and dressed, the beds all made, the rooms all 
swept, and every one, looking his best, was 
ready to partake of the creature comforts fur- 
nished by the United States, to these her favo- 
rite children, without money and without price 
— except liberty. 

The feeding room w^as early christened the 
^' United States Hotel f it was a large room 
on the ground floor, brick paved, and furnished 
with four heavy thirty-two pounder guns, car- 
riages, etc., with three plain pine tables, and 
pine benches on each side of them. 

These tables and benches were cleaned by 
being SAvept vfith the dirty bix)om that swept 
the dirty floor ; no other method was ever 
known to be tried, its success was by no means 
flattering. This room was not in charge of 
the prisoners, but was attended to by four sol- 
diers detailed as cooks ; at first sight their 
greasy flannel shirts, and general dirty appear- 
ance seemed in harmony vx^ith the snrround- 
inp's, and accounted for their presence ; but. 



"-•n 



P^ 



after a short acquaintance, it became evident 
that their appointment must have been ov/ing 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 19 

to family or political influence, as they were 
proficient in the art of ^ how not to do it/^ 

The table furniture, consisted of, for each 
prisoner, one tin cup, one tin plate, one iron 
tablespoon, and one pair common knives and 
forks, these were made to answer for all 
meals, and were never by any accident clean 
enouo;h to handle without soiling: and ffreas- 
ing the fingers. 

There was no regular time for meals ; break- 
fast sometimes at seven, sometimes at ten a.m., 
dinner sometimes at eleven a.m., sometimes at 
three p.m., etc. 

Suppose we walk into breakfast — it is an- 
nounced by one of the greasy cooks, and the 
word is passed by the prisoners to each other, 
" Eebels, breakfast at United States." On each 
tin phite is a great chunk of cold boiled pork, 
alongside each plate is a tin cup full of (any- 
thing but clear drinkable) coffee, and at inter- 
vals down the table are slices of yory good 
bakers' bread. 

A new arrival is apt to make a poor meal; 
he cannot sit down on the filthy bench, so he 
stands. He does not attempt the pork, but 
will try some coffee, which he spills in trying 



20 



TWO MONTHS IN 



to lift the cup by its greasy handle, etc. ; the 
old hand, however, gets along better, he brings 
a newspaper to sit on, he takes two hands to 
his coffee cup, he puts some vinegar on his 
pork if he can get it, and on retiring with the 
new comer, is loud and facetious in his praise 
of the "United States Hotel/^ 

The dinner is announced in the same manner, 
is furnished in the same style, and in same 
dishes as breakfast. On each tin plate is a lump 
of boiled beef, apparently cut with a hatchet; 
in each tin cup is a greasy looking mixture, 
which on examination is seen to be intend- 
ed for rice soup ; the piles of good bakers' bread 
are strewn along the table, with a few plates 
of salt at intervals; the rice, nine times out of 
ten, is cooked no softer than it came from its 
original package, and the whole greasy mess, 
in its greasy cup, to be eaten with a greasy 
spoon, seldom fails to turn the stomach of some 
of the guests. 

This dinner is the usual one; it is however 
varied perhaps three days in the week : thus in 
place of beef and rice soup, it maybe pork and 
bean soup, in which case the lucky finder of a 
bean would fiti^ occupation for the balance of 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 21 

the day in exhibiting it. Once or twice a week 
also boiled potatoes were added to tiie feast ; 
when they hapijened to be eatable they were 
an appreciated luxury, but only once or twice 
were they boiled enough. On two- occasions 
boiled ham was served, both times so little 
cooked that the blood followed the knife. 

The supper consists of tea or coffee, in the 
inevitable greasy tin cups, and slices of bakers' 
bread. 

'No person can appreciate the miser^^ entail- 
ed by this treatment, from any pen and ink or 
verbal description. The view into the filthy 
kitchen, the filthy looking cooks and attendants, 
the brick floor slippery Avith dirt, the greasy 
tables, benches and dishes, the hoggish way in 
Avhich things were served, no ofiicer present to 
prevent the frequent insults of the attendants, 
all this and much more can only be appreciated 
by being endured. 

The truth is, that all these political prisoners 
were put on a private's army rations, which, 
though good enough of the kind, was made un- 
bearable in the cooking, etc. Some there were 
who pretended to know of such matters, who 
claimed that some one was making money off 



22 TWO MONTHS IN 

the Government's allowance, bnt this could 
not be traced, the only tiling of that kind that 
was patent to all, was the 12J cents a piece 
charged prisoners for washing by Lient. Wood. 
One day was the same as another. At six 
A.M. a drummer and fifer awoke all hands by 
playing the reveille, the garrison would turn 
out to roll call, and the prisoners to wash, etc. 
At nine a.m. the guard would be mounted for 
the next twenty-four hours, with a good deal 
of drumming and fifing ; the Sergeant of the 
new guard would receive from him of the old 
guard, all the prisoners, who would stand in 
their quarters to be counted; during the after- 
noon there might be some little parading and 
drilling of the garrison, and at six p.m. the sol- 
diers would again answer to their names, the 
stars and stripes would be hauled down — the 
drum and fife playing vigorously — and the pris- 
oners be locked up in quarters for the night. 
At nine p. m. all hands would be allowed out 
of quarters for a few minutes, and again locked 
up, the drum and fife would play the tattoo, 
and at nine and a quarter every light must bo 
extinguished in prisoners' quarters — sentries 
are pacing in front of port-holes and windows, 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 23 

and peremptorily and blasphemously forbid any 
talking they can hear. 

Most of the prisoners were men who Avere 
accustomed to spend the evening in reading or 
social converse^ to them this early extinguish- 
ing of lights and stopping of conversation was 
very irksome. For hours the tossings and 
the sighings gave proof that strong men were 
suffering their thoughts to wander home to 
wife and children. 

In sucli a damp location as the bay of New 
York, with damp brick floors, with rattling 
doors and port-holes, a good deal of sickness 
might be expected ; there was not much hovv^- 
ever, colds were almost universal, but serious 
cases were rare — it was well they were, for no 
provisions whatever existed for sickness. Some 
dozen cases were at various times seriously ill, 
which, of course, was a serious business to all the 
occupants of a chamber where the beds were 
so crowded. Did the prisoners light a candle to 
attend to their suffering brother, the hoarse 
voice of the sentry at the window would order 
the light put out; did they try to attend him 
in the dark, the same voice would command 
silence; did he wish his quarters opened so as 



24 TWO .^lONTilS IN 

to visit the closets, it would take half an hour 
pounding at the door ere the Corporal of the 
Guard could be induced to open, which all must 
admit would seem an age to a man afflicted with 
diarrhoea, a very prevalent disease. 

There was, in all, four cases of extreme sick- 
ness, which should have had, in common hu- 
manit}^, separate quarters, good nursing and 
attendance; their fellow-prisoners, medical and 
lay, did all that goodness of heart could do, but 
a weak, feverish man, lying in a crowded room 
with forty others, and four big cannon, whose 
Government allowance was the rations named 
above, had a time somewhat of the hardest. 
'Now and then the Surgeon at Fort Hamilton 
would come over; he would consult with the 
prisoner-physicians, of which there was always 
more than one, and send over such medicines 
as were ordered. In only two cases was any 
attention paid to sickness. Marshall Kane, of 
Baltimore, was removed to Governor's Island, 
in consequence of Fort La Fayette being too 
unhealty for him, and James M. Ilaig, of same 
town, was kept for several days in the guard- 
house, and then removed to a lunatic asylum. 

For about ten days the water in the wells, 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 25 

Avhich depended on the rain for .their su2:)ply, 
was very low and unfit to drink ; it was full of 
animalcula) of quite a respectable growth, and 
had an odor anything but pleasing : there was 
a plentiful supply of Croton water in l!^ew York 
and abundance of water-boats to bring it, but 
that was delayed until it could be no longer. 

All letters to and from prisoners had to be 
read by the Commander, or some other officer 
at Fort Hamilton, and prisoners were limited 
to one page of letter sheet, Some could not 
say all they wanted in that space, and in some 
cases longer letters were returned with an order 
to condense, this gave a good deal of dissatis- 
faction, and led to some angry correspondence. 

At first each prisoner was confined strictly 
to his room, not being allowed beyond the 
threshold ; after a wdiile this rigor was mode- 
rated, and walking up and down on the flags 
in front of all the quarters was allowed, till six 
P.3I., and one hour each morning and afternoon 
the privilege of the central plot of grass was 
allowed. 

Visitors Avere rigidly excluded, except under 
an order from Washington. A few relatives 
gained access in this way, but as the visits had 



26 TWO MONTHS IN 

to be short, and made in a room where one or 
two soldiers were stationed, and could see and 
hear all that passed, the satisfaction was not as 
great as it would seem to be. A Mr. Ludlow, of 
'New York, said to be an attorney, was an ex- 
ception to this rule; he appeared to come when 
he pleased, and had his interviews in private. 
His mission was always to prisoners who had 
money, and Avas to effect their release for a 
consideration — at least so it was said by those 
whom he sent for. It was stated that his 
prices ranged from $500 to $2000, and that he 
was successful in several cases; some appeared 
to know that he either was or had been a law 
partner of a cabinet oflicer, and that the busi- 
ness would hardly bear the scrutiny of a con- 
gressional committee of investigation, but no- 
thing certain seemed to be known by anybodj^ 
The Marshall of New York also seemed to have 
a pass for himself and friends, and would some- 
times bring down quite a little crowd to see the 
animals. On one Sunday, Chief of Police Ken- 
nedy and Simeon Draper were among the visi- 
tors, and entered somewhat freely into discus- 
sion with some prisoners, particularly with 
Gov. Morehead, of Kentucky; he explained 



FORT LA FAYETTE. Zi 

how bad the treatment was, and showed the 
discomforts in a very feeling and eloquent 
manner. The newspapers of ]S"ew York next 
day mentioned this visit, and claimed that the 
visitors reported that the prisoners were living 
in a style equal to a first class New York hotel, 
and were -well treated, that they were allowed 
to walk on the roof and around the Fort, all of 
which was as false as it could be. A released 
prisoner, in reply, published a letter in the ]^ew 
York Herald, stating the truth, which called 
forth an answer from Col, Burke, in which he 
claimed that he and Commander Wood had 
done every thing possible for the comfort of the 
prisoners, and hinted that the Herald's letter 
was a violation of parole, and might subject the 
writer to incarceration. How much j)ains Col. 
Burke took, is, of course, unknown, but as he 
was never seen in the Fort but on two occa- 
sions, and then for a very short time, holding 
no communication with the prisoners, and no 
improvement was apparent in consequence of 
such visits, the prisoners could hardly see the 
effect of his efforts. 

About the middle of October, however, pre- 
parations were made to make things more com- 



28 TWO MONTHS IN 

fortable; additional blankets, mattresses, pil- 
lows, sheets, etc.; some tables and chairs, 
stoves, and above all, rope matting to cover 
the brick floors, some wash bowls and cham- 
ber furniture w^ere thankfully received. Those 
who wanted fires had to get for themselves 
the wood and coal, and it was not an un- 
common thing to see a man who always had 
servants to wait on him, shouldering an arm- 
ful of wood, or carrying a scuttle of coal. 

Commander Wood's position must have been 
a very unpleasant one; he associated but very 
little with the prisoners, a great many of 
whom expressed a good deal of contempt for 
him, which likely they would have done to 
any person holding his position toward them. 
On Sunday mornings the garrison had a dress 
parade, which was the only one he attended; 
then he w^as dressed up in style, regulation 
hat, gold epauletts, sword, and revolvers, and 
would, accompanied by the Orderly Sergeant, 
slowly walk through all the quarters, and this 
was apparently the extent of his efforts. 

In addition to the political prisoners, -there 
was about twenty privateers. These were 
kept in one small room by themselves; they 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 29 

had no liberty of exercise, and they wore 
irons on their ankles. Earl}' in October they 
were removed to Bedloe's Island, and when 
they again appeared, on their way to Fort 
Warren, were not ironed. 

The foregoing shows, without any exag- 
geration, but rather the reverse, the treat- 
ment by the United States of the political 
prisoners in Fort La Fayette. With but very 
few exceptions, all were men of cultivation 
and refinement, had been accustomed to the 
comforts of home, and many of them to lux- 
urious homes. All were arrested in a sum- 
mary manner, without a legal warrant ', were 
not under any legal cliarge or indictment; 
were for the most part abducted from other 
States where courts and judges were in ex- 
istence; were denied a hearing or a knowl- 
edge of a charge, and were ready and anxious 
to meet any accuser before v^, legal tribunal, 
therefore treating such men as criminals, and 
feeding and caring for them as felons, was 
considered an agravation of cruelty totally 
uncalled for. 

Of course everything the prisoners could 
do to alleviate their cases was done by them, 



so TWO MONTHS IN 

and by gradual degrees, and some expense, 
men managed to live who could not Lave 
done so on Gov®rnment fare. One of the num- 
ber was appointed Commissary, and through 
him the prisoners were allowed to spend their 
money for necessaries, Avhich he procured 
from New York. Subscribers could get the 
newspapers each morning, and very soon 
there was quite a stock of dishes, coffee pots, 
chafing dishes, apples, cold meats, pickles, 
condiments, etc., and by-and-bye messes were 
formed, some acting as cooks, and some as 
dishwashers, until finally one mess of fourteen 
achieved a cooking stove and its utensils, fur- 
nished pretty much all with a cup of the best 
coffee at six a.m., had omelets for breakfast, 
and bread pudding for dinner, drawing its ra- 
tions from the United States, and bujdng 
vfhat else Avas wanted from Kew York, it also 
carried its luxury so far as to have a melo- 
deon and singers, and was getting perfectly 
contented Avhen broken up by the removal 
to Fort Warren. 

Another mess had some patent contrivance 
of cooking by spirit lamps, and it, too, was 
astonishing itself at its success ; besides this. 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 31 

there were minor messes^ nil getting along 
well, and all helping one another, which had 
a tendency to much reduce the '^ table d'hote'^ 
at the United States Hotel. Besides this^ one 
of the sergeants, whose wife lived in the Fort, 
was allowed to take boarders. She did so at 
a charge of one dollar a day, and always had 
more applicants than she could accommodate. 

But chiefest of all the blessings was Mrs. 

J who lived opposite the Fort on Long 

Island. She prepared and sent over daily, 
cooked in the best style, and of the best, quite 
'a quantity of choice food, enough for from 
eight to ten ; her supplying was once stopped, 
but she worked on till permission was granted 
again, with some restriction. Any want that 
she knew of was supplied, delicacies for the 
sick, and clothing for the destitute, she was 
liberal with. No Fort La Fayette prisoner, 
rich or poor, can ever forget her kindness. 
God bless her. 

Each prisoner was allowed, at his own ex- 
pense, a moderate stock of wine or liquor ; it 
was kept by a sergeant, and issued in certain 
quantities daily. All of a sudden, however, 
the supply was prohibited. Ko explanation 



32 TWO MONTHS IN 

was given, nor Avas the stock or its value ever 
returned; it remained in tlio .Fort wlion the 
prisoners went to Fort Warren. 

The newspapers of the day, a few books, 
cards, draughts, chess, writing letters, etc., 
constituted the pastimes; there was very little 
political talking, and apparently very little 
growth of reverence for those who had ordered 
the imprisonments. 

The arrival of prisoners, almost daily, was 
quite an event; their names were recorded by 
a self-constituted clerk, the cause of their ar- 
rest discussed, and they were sympathized or 
joked with, as might appear to be agreeable^ 
always treated kindly. The discharge of 
prisoners was always subject of hearty con- 
gratulation and promises of correspondence, 
not frequently lived up to by the fortunates. 

On Sundays all games were suspended by 
mutual consent, and once or twice in the day 
all who choose would assemble in one of the 
large rooms, and one of the number would lead 
in the Episcopal service for the day, and read 
a sermon. It was surprising to see how many 
had with them their book of Common Prayer,'^ 
and gratifying, the fervor Avith which all en- 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 83 

tered into the spirit of the beautiful service ; 
in these services the garrison never joined, 
thouo'h any soldier would have been welcome. 
There was but one known attempt at escape, 
D. C. Lowber of New Orleans, who was the 
only one who claimed to be, and gloried in 
being a secessionist, had by some means or 
other furnished himself with some money, and 
a couple of life-preservers. _0n the night of 
the 26th Oct., after the lights had been extin- 
guished, he picked the lock of one of the port- 
hole gratings, put his clothes in a bucket, and 
lowered himself on to the esplanade, his life- 
preservers were bound around him, and he 
apparently contemplated a swim to Staten 
Island, a distance of two miles at least, and, 
perhaps, a great deal further if the tide was 
running fast; the water was cold, so it was 
hardly possible he could have lived. He pro- 
ceeded to work his way to the wall, when he 
was espied by the sentry, whose advancing 
footsteps he did not hear, being very deaf, and 
his chances were all over. The sentry made a 
furious outcry for ^'Sergeant of the Guard No. 
4," commanded Mr. Lowber to stand still or he 
would shoot him, repudiated all his attempts 
2 



84 TWO MONTHS IN 

at conciliation, and to be allowed to re-enter 
the port-hole, informing him that it was too 
late to attempt to bribe him, etc. ; although 
the noise awoke all the prisoners, it seemed 
difficult to awake the Sergeant, who was a 
long time coming. At last he came, much to 
the relief of the sentry, who was, judging by 
his voice, the most frightened of the two. Mr. 
Lowber was taken to the guard-house and put 
in irons, and so kept until the removal to Fort 
Warren, when he again appeared among the 
prisoners; he had managed somehow to retain 
his irons, and expressed his intention of mak- 
ing them his chief mantel ornament at home. 
He has been since released from Fort Warren, 
and has gone to Great Britain. 

Another opportunity of escape was offered to 
a prisoner fi'om Kentucky, a working man, 
who had no funds or friends in ISTew York; he 
w^as mistaken by a sentry for one of the hands 
belonfrinsr to a boat unloading wood at the 
Wharf, and at the point of the bayonet was 
told he had no business in the Fort, and or- 
dered on board his boat; he, however, ear- 
nestly remonstrated, claimed his privileges, 
and finally convinced the sentry of his error. 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 35 

Doubtless had Mr. Lowber succeeded in get- 
ting away, it would have been much worse for 
the remainder, as it was, all in his room — 
about fort}' — were looked upon with suspicion 
as accomplices. As soon as he was ironed and 
secured, all hands were called up from bed, 
made form a line on the cold floor, in the pic- 
turesque uniform of shirt tails, answer to 
names, etc. 

The cannon on the second floor were fre- 
quently used to stop vessels proceeding to sea 
without permission of the captain of a guard- 
ship stationed above. On such signals being 
given, the wdiole garrison was ordered to quar- 
ters, and every prisoner immediately locked 
up ; a great tramping would be heard over 
head, and finally the ball would go whistling 
and screaming across the bows of the offender; 
the whijle proceeding could be seen through 
the port-holes, and generally resulted in the 
vessel heaving to. Not always so, however, a 
very fast steamer did escape in open day, and 
it was said a sail vessel had slipped by at night 
— the tiring was rather wide of the mark — only 
once was a vessel hit. 

On 30th October, a ferry-boat appeared at 



86 TWO MONTHS IN 

the wharf and all prisoners went on board, en 
route for Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. 

Mrs. , the prisoners' kind friend, was 

standing on the bank opposite her house, and 
received from all a hearty greeting as the boat 
swept by. At Governor's Island, the steam- 
boat " State of Maine" was waiting, and the 
Fort La Fayette prisoners, together with some 
other State prisoners from Governor's Island, 
and the officers captured at Fort Hatteras 
were assigned to her upper or state-room deck, 
some two hundred in all ; there were twenty- 
five state-rooms, mostly occupied by the officers 
in charge ; there also came on board about six 
hundred prisoners of war, who were quartered 
in the lower cabin. In addition, there was a 
military guard of about two hundred, besides 
the boat hands, making a total of over one 
thousand souls crowded on a boat not capable 
of holding over five hundred. The voyage w\ts 
commenced at five p.m., and then it was dis- 
covered that no provision was made for feed- 
iner this crowd. Some boxes of soda crackers 
were hunted up, and some one extemporized 
cofi'ee in a limited quantity, and that was the 
fare allowed. By-and-bye, it turned out that 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 37 

no beds or sleeping accommodations were pro- 
vided — not even a chair was to be found. A 
few, by good luck, managed to secure the 
empty state-rooms, and made the sleeping ac- 
commodations therein do duty for as many as 
possible, but the most part spent two sleepless 
and restless nights in that prison-boat. The 
next evening at five p.m.. Fort Warren was 
reached, and then it was learned that Col. 
Dimmick was not at all prepared to receive any 
such company, and the night must be passed 
on board. 

The next morning, after the prisoners of 
war had been marched in, the State prisoners 
followed ; they found it was as Col. Dimmick 
said, that he was totally unprepared — he had 
not a table or chair, bedstead or bed for one 
man — he had no provision, so that a raw ham 
on top of a barrel in the middle of the parade, 
and a barrel of soda crackers w^as eaten from 
by the half- famished new arrivals. For five 
whole dsijs did the prisoners live without beds 
or chairs, or any regular meals. After that, 
supplies were received, and no prisoner was 
ever heard to complain of Col. Dimmick or his 
garrison. 



38 TWO MONTHS IN 

The change of treatment from nncivil acts in 
Fort La Fayette, to the gentlemanly treatment 
in Fort Warren, was most refreshing. The 
rooms allotted to the prisoners were comfort- 
able, with the exception of a few basement 
rooms being damp, and the area for exercise 
was much more extensive. 

At Fort La Fayette, the whole New York 
Bay was oj^en to view through the purt-holes, 
which, though iron-barred, whiled away pleas- 
antly many an hour. Fort Warren had no 
port-holes to look through, it was open only to 
the sky and the bleak Massachusetts winds ; 
many on this account would have preferred the 
old quarters, particularly as stoves and mat- 
ting had just been received, and messes were 
organized. Still, on the whole, Fort Warrea 
is a vast improvement over Fort La Fayette ; 
even including the horrors of the passage from 
one to the other. 

No single prisoner had had a trial at any 
time granted him ; those who have been dis- 
charged were so on various conditions of parole, 
or taking the oath, and have thus been sent 
home resting under the stigma of imprisonment, 
and without the opportunity of setting them- 
selves right before the community. 



PORT LA FAYETTE. 39 

The few personal and very much condensed 
cases which follow, are only given as speci- 
mens of the prisoner's own version, and not as 
by any means singular. Every prisoner com- 
plained of gross injustice, and violation of his 
personal guaranteed rights. Each prisoner 
expressed his willingness and anxiety for a 
trial, or confronting of his accusers. Each 
prisoner complained that he was not allowed 
to appeal to the courts for his rights, and seve- 
ral had writs of habeas corpus waiting to be 
served on Col. Burke, who, to avoid such ser- 
vice, was virtually a prisoner within the walls 
of Fort Hamilton. The writing out of each in- 
dividual case would be an unnecessary labor, 
as one w^ould be a virtual repetition of the 
other. 

This pamphlet is issued not as an election- 
eering document, the fall elections being over, 
but simply as a record, so that the rising gene- 
ration may know what has happened in the 
noon of the nineteenth century, in the Great 
Republic, and perhaps avoid its repetition. 
" God save the Union I" 

C. F. Sargeant, of Yarmont, Maine, was ad- 
mitted Sept. 24th, ne was engaged in com- 



40 TWO MONTHS IN 

merce, and was arrested at his home early in 
September, taken to Portland and put in prison. 
Some friends got wind of it, and procured a 
writ of habeas corpus, the officers tried to 
evade it by leaving town with him in a car- 
riage, intending to take the train for Boston 
at another station. In this, however, they 
were frustrated by his friends heading them off 
with the writ, and all hands returned to Port- 
land. 

The District Attorney had the case post- 
poned till three p.m. next day, and he was re- 
manded to prison; about midnight all charges 
against him were withdrawn, he was released 
and went home to his business. 

About two weeks after, having occasion to 
go to Boston on business, Mr. Sargeant, when 
near there on the train, was jumped upon by 
three Marshals, with cocked revolvers, ironed, 
and taken to Boston, and from thence sent to 
Fort La Fayette, without any charge, and 
without knowing by whose order he was so 
treated. 

J. E. Barbour, of Lake Providence, La., ar- 
rived 24th Aug., he was on his way home from 
a summer tour for his health, which was feeble, 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 41 

and was arrested in Sj^raciise, N. Y., on the 
sworn charge of a stranger, that he believed he 
had been buying arms and supplies for twenty 
thousand rebels, and cast into prison. Some 
gentlemen in town, perfect strangers to him, 
insisted that he should hav^e a trial, and a day 
was accordingly set for his hearing at Auburn, 
N. Y., they giving large security for his ap- 
pearance. He was anxious to have a hearing 
without a witness immediately, but had to re- 
main at a hotel in Syracuse while his accuser 
tried to hunt up evidence. At the day ap- 
pointed he reported himself at Auburn, releas- 
ed his securities, and Avas put in Auburn jail 
to have his hearing next morning. In this he 
was disappointed; about midnight the Marshal 
came to his cell, put irons on him, and started 
for New York. In due time he arrived there, 
was marched through the streets in irons, 
though guarded by three armed Marshals, and 
safely lodged in Fort La Fayette. 

Wm. Pierce, of New Orleans, La., [was ad- 
mitted on 22d October, he w^as a young man, 
and was arrested in Boston, Mass., on 17th 
October, on the charge of being an officer in 
the Rebel service. His hearing lasted from 



42 TWO MONTHS IN 

day to clay, nntil the 21st October, when he 
was honorably discharged, having proved satis- 
factorily to the court the falsity of the charge, 
the difficulty he had to get away from Ne^\^ 
Orleans, and the long and painful journey en- 
dured to reach Boston where his sick wife re- 
sided. 

His friends w^ere cono^ratulatincc him on his 
release, and his wife waiting to accompany 
him home, when a Marshall called him aside as 
for some private conversation, stepj)ed around 
the corner with him, when he was forced into 
a carriage, and driven off to the train for New 
York. All this on a telegraphic order from 
Wm. H. Seward. 

George A. Hubbell, of Bridgeport, Conn., 
was admitted 20th September, he w^as a ven- 
dor of newspapers on the cars of the Nauga- 
tuck Railroad, and was arrested as he was step- 
ping on to his train for his daily journey. He 
had no charge preferred against him, but was 
hurried off to Fort La Fayette in the most sum- 
mary manner, and without any intimation of 
the authority of, or cause of his arrest. 

He surmised that it was on account his hav- 
ing, a few days before, when in New York, 



I'ORT LA PAYETTE. 43 

bought ten copies of the ^' New York Daily 
News," unci given them away to old customers 
for that paper on his route. The paper was 
not suppressed in New York, it was bought 
and sold as any other, but the Government had 
prohibited it being carried in the mails, and 
Mr. Ilubbell had stopped circulating it on his 
route. He was kept only about a week. 

Captain H. L. Shields, of Bennington, Vt., 
was admitted 25th October ; he is a retired 
officer of the United States army, and now a 
farmer at Bennington. While in the field with 
his laborers, a few miles from town, a messen- 
ger drove up in a hack, saying a friend whose 
name he had forgotten, was at the railroad de- 
pot, and wished to see him before the train 
started. As the time was short, without any 
change of clothes or preparation for a journey, 
he embarked with the messenger and was 
driven to the station. In place of a friend, he 
there met^two United States Marshalls, who, 
without allowing him any communication 
whatever with his family, hurried him right 
along, unprepared as he was, to Fort La 
Fayette. 

lie afterwards understood that officers im- 



44 TWO MONTHS IN 

mediately proceeded to his house, tilarming 
his wife who was in delicate health, and over- 
hauling all his correspondence in the hope of 
finding something to sustain the newspaper 
charge of holding corres2:)ondence with the 
JRebels; it is presumed none such was found, as 
he was early discharged from Fort Warren. 

Mr. A. Da Costa, of Charleston, S. C, was 
admitted 11th October -, he is well known to 
travellers as a very popular purser on Gulf 
steamers running from I^ew Orleans. The 
blockade suspended his business, and he started 
to join his family living in Mexico. At Louis- 
ville, Ky., he bought a ticket for New York 
via Montreal, having a desire to visit that city. 
He arrived at Detroit on Saturday evening, 
and remained over Sunday, entering his name 
in register of the Eussell House as from New 
Orleans. On Monday morning, after paying 
his hotel bill, he was arrested on an affidavit of 
some one to him a stranger, stating that he 
believed that Mr. Da Costa was on a mission 
from the Rebel authorities to foreign poten- 
tates; his only baggage, a valise, was examin- 
ed, he was searched, but nothing found, and 
committed to prison. Some merchants, un- 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 45 

known to him, took an interest in his case, and 
sued out a writ of habeas corpus. The officers 
in charge hearing of this, and not having re- 
ceived the usual telegraphic order from Wash- 
ington, took him away at night to Adrian, 
giving out that they were going to Monroe, in 
in the opposite direction; there he remained 
one da}^, and then was taken to Toledo, Ohio, 
there the necessary order was procured, and 
he was forwarded direct to Fort La Fayette. 
He was entirely unacquainted North, and his 
innocence might have been presumed from the 
fact that he remained thirtj-six hours publicly 
in Detroit, when ten minutes would at any 
time have put him in Canada. He was finally 
released from Fort Warren, it is believed, in 
exchange for some prisoner held by the Con- 
federates, and sent to Fortress Monroe. So it 
is quite, probable that by this action he has 
been forced into the Rebel service. 

Captain Eobert Tansil, late of TJ. S. ship 
Congress, entered 28th August, he had just 
arrived at Boston in the Congress, and hearing 
of the rebellion, or, perhaps, for some other 
cause, had resigned his commission. He was 
immediately arrested and sent to the Fort; he 



46 TWO MONTHS IN 

had no charges preferred against him, and to 
his repeated applications for any, or for priv- 
ilege to visit Washington to meet any, and 
visit his family, received no favorable answer. 
After being confined over four months, he was 
exchanged for a United States officer, and sent 
to Fortress Monroe — thus recognizing him as 
an officer in the Confederate service, and mak- 
ing it almost his duty to serve in that cause 
which had gained him his personal liberty. A 
number of other United States navy officers 
were imprisoned in the same manner, and the 
result has likely been the same in at least a 
majority of the cases. 

Twenty-five members of the Marjdand Leg- 
islature arrived on the 23d and 26th September. 
A few days previously they had met at the 
City of Frederick, according to adjournment 
from their regular meeting, for the • express 
purpose of completing some financial bills. 
They claimed that, according to the adjourn- 
ment, no other business could come before that 
body; the newspapers asserted that the inten- 
tion was to pass an act of secession. At its 
regular session, this same body had the ques- 
tion before it, and decided that it bad no power 



rORT LA TAYETTE. 47 

to pass such an act, wliich could only be done 
by the people in convention. Nevertheless, 
they were all arrested by an armed force, and 
sent to th6 Fort, and the session of the State of 
Maryland Legislature was thus broken up. 

To some, and, perhaps, to all of them, the 
new oath of allegiance was offered as the con- 
dition of their liberation. Their reasons for 
refusing itj and, in fact, the reasons of all who 
refused it were stated as, 

l.«t. They had committed no act of disloy- 
alty ; w^ere conscious of no such intent; had 
no charges or indictments pending against 
them ; therefore, should not be singled for any 
such test, which, if submitted to, would be ad- 
mitting that there w^as some cause against 
them . 

2d. This oath was in direct violation of every 
oath already- taken by lawyers, legislators, and 
foreigners. That was an oath swearing to bear 
true allegiance to the State in which it is taken, 
and to support the Constitution of the United 
States. This is swearing to bear true allegi- 
ance to the United States, regardless of any act 
of State Legislatures or Conventions of its 
people. Having taken one oath which is 



48 TWO MONTHS IN 

claimed to have been faitlifiilly lived up to and 
still binding, they cannot take another annul- 
ling the same. 

Fourteen men were brought from Kentuck}^, 
and arrived 5tli October; they were mostly 
laboring men, destitute of clothes and money, 
and stated that they were arrested in different 
parts by the Jl.ome Guard, and lodged in jail 
at Louisville, on the charge of intending to 
join the rebel service. They employed coun- 
sel, denied the charge, asserted that they one 
and all voted the Union ticket, and a day was 
appointed for their trial. On that morning, 
very early, they w^ere marched out of jail 
under a military guard, placed in oranibusses, 
driven to the ferry, and taken over to Indiana, 
from thence direct to the Fort. Some of them 
arrived quite sick, and one came near dying, 
as they had no overcoats for the journey, or 
even a change of clothes, they having been 
arrested on the road and in the field at their 
daily occupation. Gov. Morehead took a kind 
interest in these men, and they were soon 
made more comfortable. Some time in No- 
vember these men were turned loose in the 
streets of Boston, one thousand miles from 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 4:W 

home, and without means of getting there. 
The citizens or the City Government, it is be- 
lieved, forwarded them. 

Mr. Wm. H. Winder, of Philadelphia, Pa., 
entered 14th September; he was arrested 11th 
September, on a charge of conspiracy to over- 
throw the Government; by whom the charge 
was made he never was informed ; he was held 
in custody till 13th September, to answer said 
charges, which were then all withdrawn by the 
District Attorney. That same afternoon, with- 
out any warrant being shown, he was arrested 
by the United States Marshall on a telegraphic 
order from Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, 
and immediately forwarded to the Fort. After 
his arrest, his office was visited, his desks, etc., 
broken open, and his papers, covering a period 
of thirty years, ransacked. Since his incar- 
ceration, he has been urging the furnishing of 
the charges against him, but without success. 
The only information that has been furnished 
him being, singularly enough, in a letter from 
Simon Cameron himself, distinctly denying 
that he ever ordered Mr. Winder's arrest, or 
knew of it till he saw it in print, and stating 
that he had requested his immeiliato release 
from Wm. H. Seward, Secretary of State, 



50 TWO MONTHS IN 

F. D. and J. E. Flanders, two brothers, of 
Malone, N. Y., entered 23d October, they were 
editors of a newspaper in that place, and could 
conceive of no cause for their arrest, except 
that they kept conspicuously in their paper 
the following curiosities. 

EXTRACT OF A SPEECH BY DANL. S. DICKINSON, N.Y. 

^' No amount of power can ever nnaintain the 

Union — all the paper laws we have, all the 

strength and power of the Constitution, the 

army and navy, the National Legislature and 

the Executive power, arc all not worth a single 

rush to compel a State to remain in the Union 

one sin<xle hour lono;cr than it chooses to re- 
ts o 

main/' 

EXTRACT FROM EX-PRES. MILLARD FILLMORE, N.Y. 

'^ Can any one have the madness to believe 
that our Southern brethren would submit to bo 
governed by a sectional Chief Magistrate. 
Suppose that the Soutli, having a majority of 
the electoral vote, should declare they would 
only have slaveholders for President and Vice- 
President, and should elect such. Do you 
think we would submit to it? No ! not for a 
moment ! And do you believe your Southern 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 51 

brethren are less sensitive ? If you do, let me 
tell you you are mistaken.'' 

EXTRACT FROM A SPEECH OF GOV. MOREHEAD, OF 
KY., IN LIVERPOOL, OCTOBER, 1862. 

"I was seized at two o'clock in the night 
in my own bed, dragged from it and from my 
family without a moment's warning, and car- 
ried across the Ohio River in defiance of the 
writ of habeas corpus. The soldiers ran me 
by night, by special train, to Indianapolis. 
One of the Judges of the Supreme Court sent 
a Marshall with a writ of habeas corpus to bring 
me back, but I was carried by a special train 
to Columbus, Ohio; there I was kept a while 
and afterwards carried on to ^ew York, and 
hurried to prison in Fort La Fayette. I can- 
not well conceive any horror more dreadful 
than was experienced in that prison. Thirty- 
eight of us were placed in one room, with five 
thirty-two pounder cannon ; the room was 
sixty-six feet by twenty-two feet, the floor was 
brick, so damp that our boots would be covered 
with green mould in the morning ; they gave 
me fourteen pounds of straw to sleep on, about 
lialf rotten, and in a very common tick. I am. 



52 TWO MONTHS IN 

without my shoes, six feet high, and my bed 
measured four feet seven inches. We had one 
very dirty tin cup to drink out of, and the 
water we drank w^as filled with millions of tad- 
poles. We were locked up at six at night 
and kept so till six next morning, without any 
natural conveniences whatever, suffering the 
agonies of death. 

" There was an old man brought from Ken- 
tucky, upw^ards of seventy years of age, he was 
sick and had been prescribed brandy, he drank 
it off without mixing it with water, for he saw 
the tadj^oles ; the brandy burned him so much 
he "came back, and, soliloquizing, said, ^ Well, 
tadjDoles, if you can stand it, I can,' and drank 
the water. We wrote a letter to Mr. Lincoln, 
signed by every one, telling him of the horrors 
endured. In about a month after we were 
taken to Fort Warren in a steamboat by sea. 
The captain told me himself the vessel was 
calculated for two hundred and fifty persons, 
and she took eleven hundred ; we were fifty 
hours in making the voyage, and all that was 
given us to eat was a piece of raw salt pork 
and three sea crackers. We were placed in 
Fort Warren upon the naked floor, without 



FORT LA FAYETTE. 53 

bed, blanket or wisp of straw, and in that 
condition had to remain until we bought such 
things as we needed. Col. Dimmick, a very 
kind and humane officer, allowed us to hire a 
cook, and we lived well after.'' 






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